Ruth Rogers facts for kids
| Born | Ruth Elias 2 July 1948 New York, US |
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| Cooking style | British and Italian cuisine |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Ruth Rogers, also known as Baroness Rogers of Riverside, was born on July 2, 1948. She is a famous British chef. She owns and runs a well-known Italian restaurant in London called The River Café. This restaurant has even earned a special award called a Michelin star. Ruth Rogers was married to the famous architect Richard Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside, who has now passed away.
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Ruth Rogers' Early Life and Family
Ruth Elias was born in a part of New York. Her parents taught her to believe in fairness for everyone. Her father was a doctor whose family came from Hungary. Her mother was a librarian and worked to help people get fair treatment at their jobs. Her brother, Michael Elias, became a writer for movies and TV shows. In the early 1960s, her family moved to a town called Woodstock. She once shared a fun story about turning down a chance to see the famous musician Bob Dylan practicing in 1965!
Ruth's Education and Studies
From 1964 to 1966, Ruth went to Colorado Rocky Mountain School. After that, she studied for a year at Bennington College in Vermont. In 1967, she took a break from college and came to England. She decided not to go back to Bennington. Instead, she studied design at the London College of Printing starting in 1968. While living in London, she joined peaceful protests against the Vietnam War in 1968.
Meeting Richard Rogers
Ruth met the architect Richard Rogers in late 1969. He was 15 years older than her. At that time, he was married and worked with his first wife. Ruth and Richard got married in 1973. She went with him to Paris for several years. Richard was working on building a very important building there called the Pompidou Centre. Living in Paris, Ruth learned a lot about cooking with fresh, seasonal foods. Later, she spent time in northern Italy. Richard's parents had moved to England from Florence, Italy.
Ruth and Richard lived in two houses in Chelsea. Richard changed them into one big home in 1983. They had two sons, Roo (born in 1975) and Bo (born in 1983). Sadly, their younger son Bo passed away suddenly in 2011 when he was 27 years old.
The River Café Restaurant
After her time in France and Italy, Ruth was inspired to open an Italian restaurant in London. In 1987, she started The River Café with her friend Rose Gray. At first, it was almost like a cafeteria for the people who worked at Richard Rogers's architecture office nearby. Her husband designed the simple and modern look of the restaurant.
Food and Success at The River Café
The River Café became very famous for its fresh, seasonal food. It focused on real, traditional Italian cooking. The restaurant's cookbooks, like The River Café Cook Book (first published in 1995), became very popular. Ruth and Rose even had their own TV show called The Italian Kitchen in 1998.
Many successful chefs learned their skills at The River Café. These include famous names like Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The restaurant has had a Michelin star, a special award for excellent restaurants, since 1998. Ruth has continued to run the restaurant since her business partner Rose Gray passed away in 2010.
Ruth's Culinary Inspirations
Ruth Rogers has been inspired by other great chefs. These include Julia Child and her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She also learned from Marcella Hazan and her book The Classic Italian Cook Book.
Ruth Rogers has received special honors for her work in cooking and for charity. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010. Later, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2020.
